Separation Anxiety Disorder

Separation anxiety disorder (SAD) is defined as developmentally inappropriate and excessive distress or anxiety that involves a fear of separation from those to whom an individual is attached (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013, p. 190). The most frequently reported symptoms of SAD include recurrent excessive distress when separated from home or the attachment figure, persistent excessive worry about losing the attachment figure, refusal to go to school, work, or elsewhere due to separation, persistent reluctance or refusal to go to sleep without being near the attachment figure, repeated nightmares involving separation, and repeated complaints of physical symptoms, such as headaches and stomachaches, when separation occurs or is anticipated. This fear or anxiety is persistent and lasts for at least 4 weeks in children and adolescents, and typically 6 months or more in adults (APA, 2013).